World's worst business ideas -- Selling serial killer memorabilia

It takes two people to execute a truly awful sale: a creepy vendor and a creepy buyer. Unfortunately, there must be enough creepy buyers who collect the letters, post cards, and other personal memorabilia of serial killers to keep creepy vendors like serialkillersink.com in business.

I'm at a loss to explain why anyone would pay $375 for a photocopy of Charlie Manson's 1969 driver's license, "perfect for framing for the ultimate Charles Manson fan!" Who in their right mind would be a fan of this murderer?

How about a two-page typed and signed letter from the Son of Sam killer, David Berkowitz, for $80? For creeps on a budget, how about $12 for a one-page letter from Michael Carneal, who killed three of his high school classmates while they were in a prayer circle?

Or perhaps you don't like the creeps at serialkillerink.com. Sadly, there are alternatives, including murderauction.com, where a painting by John Wayne Gacy carries a starting bid of $999.

Apparently, the attraction of mass murderers is something that takes time to ripen; I didn't find any memorabilia for sale for more recent high-profile killers such as Seung-hui Cho (Virginia Tech), Kebold and Harris of Columbine.

However, Anthony Sowell, accused in 2009 of burying 11 women on his Cleveland inner city property, recently put some of his letters up for sale on serialkillerink.com. You can buy one for $200.

According to Cleveland.com, eight states prohibit inmates from making money by selling such memorabilia, although Ohio is not one of them. Once these items are in the market, though, nothing except our moral repugnance at the idea of honoring these creeps by spending our money on their foul leavings can stop the trade.